5 WWE dream matches that didn't live up to the hype

Looking back at WWE history, several dream matches lived up to the hype and more. Even if they weren't outstanding in-ring performances, the mere spectacle of two larger-than-life superstars played a bigger role in creating iconic moments.

Some examples include Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant, The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock vs Hulk Hogan and John Cena vs The Rock. However, there have also been moments where dream matches in WWE failed to live up to the hype. Here are five such examples:

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#5. Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar - WWE's "blockbuster match" goes sour

Goldberg and Brock Lesnar's disastrous face-off at Madison Square Garden

In late 2003, Brock Lesnar was the WWE Champion on SmackDown, and Goldberg was the World Heavyweight Champion on RAW. They were at different stages in their careers.

While Brock Lesnar was only a year-and-a-half into his run in WWE, Goldberg was an established legend who was serving a one-year contract with the company. It was a dream match to set up, as Brock Lesnar quickly became WWE's hottest young star with the monster push he received.

However, by 2004, both men wanted out of the company. Goldberg later revealed that he wasn't a fan of the direction the company was going in, while Linda McMahon had publicly expressed her disappointment at the legend's run.

For Brock Lesnar, his top star status meant an intensive schedule on the road, one that burned him out and made him resort to pills. He decided to try out for the NFL after finishing his WWE run.

Nevertheless, a match was set up between the two men. Before WrestleMania XX at Madison Square Garden, news emerged online that both Brock Lesnar and Goldberg were leaving WWE after their contracts expired in 2004.

The dream match between the two behemoths turned into an absolute disaster, even with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest referee. With the audience having full knowledge that both men were leaving WWE, their match turned sour. Madison Square Garden echoed in jeers as both Goldberg and Brock Lesnar were booed throughout their match. Luckily, there was some payoff, as The Texas Rattlesnake took out both men on their way out.

Goldberg returned to WWE 12-and-a-half years later to right the wrong of the match. After his return saw him defeat Brock Lesnar in 86 seconds, it led to a brief Royal Rumble confrontation and a WrestleMania payoff with the Universal title on the line.

In what can only be described as a 5-minute classic, both men righted the wrong of WrestleMania XX and had an explosive match-up that resulted in Lesnar finally getting the win over Goldberg. It would have been the perfect retirement for Goldberg, but it was a good way to pay off a match over 12 years in the making.

#4. AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura - WWE's "dream match" advertisement backfires

This match garnered little reaction

When Shinsuke Nakamura won the Men's Royal Rumble 2018 match, he instantly targeted then-WWE Champion AJ Styles. It was a dream match because the hardcore WWE fanbase was aware of their previous meeting in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

It was in 2016 at Wrestle Kingdom where Shinsuke Nakamura successfully defended the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against AJ Styles. It would ultimately lead to both men joining WWE. Shinsuke Nakamura stayed in NXT for a year while AJ Styles became WWE Champion within eight months of his debut.

Their match at Wrestle Kingdom 10 was a classic, and WWE capitalized on it by calling it a "dream match" for the entire build. With both men being babyfaces, the feud didn't have much fire to it. That didn't seem to matter to most fans as long as it delivered at the grandest stage of them all.

It didn't. In what can only be described as lackluster, both veterans failed to reproduce the magic in WWE that they created just two years prior. While it would have fared better at a two-day WrestleMania, the match truly failed to live up to the hype.

#3. Triple H vs Seth Rollins - WWE's mentor vs student match doesn't deliver

Triple H was the catalyst for Seth Rollins' face

Again, this is probably a case of a match in WWE that would have fared better at a two-day WrestleMania. Triple H vs Seth Rollins was the rumored direction for WrestleMania 32 in 2016, but WWE's 2015 superstar of the year, Seth Rollins, suffered a devastating injury that kept him out of the biggest WrestleMania of all time at AT&T Stadium.

Seth Rollins returned to WWE as a heel in 2016, only to turn babyface a week after SummerSlam when Triple H turned on him and cost him the chance to win the Universal Championship. It was a slow-burning build that culminated in a "mentor vs student" type of match at WrestleMania 33.

It was a dream match on paper, but minus the spot where Stephanie McMahon went through a table, the match didn't deliver as expected. Vince McMahon seemed happy with the match backstage but, when watching it live, it didn't set the crowd ablaze.

Perhaps a refreshed crowd with a shorter runtime over two days would have changed the perception towards this WWE dream match.

#2. Triple H vs Batista - A great WWE story with a lackluster culmination?

Batista and Triple H had a significant rivalry in 2005

Make no mistake - Batista's face turn in 2005 is one of the greatest in WWE history. The slow-burning build-up to the feud between Triple H and Batista remains the perfect example of a long-term storyline done right.

While Randy Orton's underwhelming world title reign in 2004 may have been to Batista's benefit, it was for the fans as well. WWE only figured out later on that fans were more interested in seeing Batista go from the Evolution powerhouse to a main event superstar.

Everything was done to perfection, from the tease of Batista's face turn to his Royal Rumble win, eventual face turn and more. The entire build-up was perfect, and the main event of WrestleMania 21 was set. On the same night, John Cena was to receive his coronation as well.

In the main event of WrestleMania 21 in Hollywood, Batista dethroned Triple H to become the World Heavyweight Champion and WWE's next big breakout star. The match, however, left a lot to be desired. Perhaps it was a burned-out crowd that contributed to it, but the match itself isn't highly remembered.

WWE made the right decision to resume the feud post-WrestleMania, which culminated with an incredible Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance 2005, where Batista ended his rivalry with Triple H for good.

The two men would come full circle 14 years later as Triple H defeated Batista at WrestleMania 35 to end The Animal's legendary career.

#1. John Cena vs Roman Reigns - A dream match made by WWE too soon?

John Cena verbally humiliated Roman Reigns throughout their rivalry

After SummerSlam 2017, Roman Reigns began a feud with WWE's former franchise player John Cena. By that point, John Cena's WWE appearances had started to decrease significantly, and fans were surprised that the match wasn't held off for WrestleMania.

By this point, WWE was well over two-and-a-half years into the Roman Reigns experiment, one where Vince McMahon was determined to make him the next John Cena. The only problem was that it didn't work.

With WWE refusing to turn Roman Reigns heel, they unfairly put him in a position that he wasn't ready for. He had the talent, but his potential as a character wouldn't be realized until three years later when he finally turned heel.

The build-up to the match had two notable things: first, neither man laid a finger on each other until the match and second, John Cena verbally humiliated Roman Reigns, giving him a terrible look. WWE set Roman Reigns up to fail, and although he was always going to win at No Mercy, it wasn't a memorable match. Hopefully, WWE can right this wrong in the near future.

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